Buying property in Dammam, Al Khobar and Dhahran
This is our own province, and it is the one place where we have to start with bad news: if you are applying from outside the Kingdom, you cannot buy a home here today. What follows is who can, why the market is worth knowing anyway, and what changes if the list grows.
Part of where we work. Our office is in Dammam, at 3577 Al Sharaf, Ash Shulah District.
The honest position
When the Real Estate Ownership by Non-Saudis Law came into force on 21 January 2026, the approved zones covered Riyadh, Jeddah, AlUla, the giga-projects, Makkah and Madinah for Muslim buyers, and a set of economic zones. Dammam, Al Khobar and Dhahran were not among them. The only Eastern Province entry on the list is Ras Al-Khair, which is an industrial special economic zone — a buyer there is normally a company, not a family.
If an agent offers you a Khobar villa on the basis that the law has opened up, they are either not reading the portal or hoping you will not. REGA has said ownership will be extended to more cities gradually, and we watch that list. We will tell our clients the day it changes.
Who can buy here right now
| You are | Can you buy in Dammam, Khobar or Dhahran? |
|---|---|
| Applying from abroad | No, except Ras Al-Khair SEZ |
| Resident on a valid iqama | Yes — one home for you and your family, with Ministry of Interior approval |
| GCC national | Yes, on the same terms as a Saudi citizen |
| Premium Residency holder | Yes, with wider rights than an ordinary resident |
| Foreign company with a MISA licence | Property for the licensed activity — premises, warehousing, staff housing |
Which category you fall in is set out in who can buy property in Saudi Arabia.
Why the market is worth knowing anyway
Dammam transactions grew about 60% year on year in 2025. The tenant base here is unlike Riyadh’s: it is Aramco, SABIC, Jubail and Ras Al-Khair industry, and the people renting are long-term residents with families rather than two-year corporate postings. That produces steadier occupancy and slower turnover — less exciting, easier to hold.
And the King Fahd Causeway matters more than most analysis admits. Bahraini nationals buy here on the same terms as Saudis, and Khobar’s waterfront is a forty-minute drive from Manama.
The three cities, briefly
- Al Khobar
- The corniche and the newer northern districts. The most expensive of the three, the most international, and the first stop for a GCC buyer coming over the causeway.
- Dhahran
- The Aramco belt. Short commutes, steady tenant demand, and a market driven by long-term residents rather than investors.
- Dammam
- The administrative and commercial centre, and the widest range of prices of the three — from older inland districts to new build near the corniche.
What we do here
This is the market we know street by street, and it is where our office is. For a resident buying their one permitted home we handle the Ministry of Interior approval, the deed check and the transfer. For a GCC buyer we work exactly as we would for a Saudi client. For a company we work from the MISA licence backwards to what it actually permits you to own.
And if you are buying from abroad, we will point you at Riyadh or Jeddah rather than sell you something you are not allowed to own.
Questions people ask
Can foreigners buy property in Al Khobar?
Not from abroad — Al Khobar is not an approved zone under the 2026 law. Residents on a valid iqama and GCC nationals can buy there under the existing rules.
Can a Bahraini buy property in Khobar?
Yes. GCC nationals are treated the same as Saudi citizens, with no zone restriction and no separate approval.
Will Dammam and Khobar open to foreign buyers?
REGA has said ownership will be extended gradually to more cities. Nothing is announced for the Eastern Province beyond Ras Al-Khair. We watch the portal and tell clients when it changes.
What can an expat on an iqama buy in Dammam?
One home, for you and your family to live in, with Ministry of Interior approval. Not a portfolio.